Scenario

Substrate

The Greenhouse Project consists of the design and construction
of a greenhouse for Plymouth Regional High School. The students will be taking charge of
all facets of the project, including needs assessment, building design, fund raising,
project presentation and construction. It will be a multi-disciplinary task joining
freshmen physical science students and junior and senior vocational building trades
students. The stages up through project presentation will take approximately six to eight
weeks in the spring. Actual construction of the greenhouse will be accomplished by the
Construction Technology II & III students during the following school year. The
primary teachers are Ina Ahern (Science), Douglas Ross (Construction Technology) and
Mardean Badger (Library Media Specialist).

Planting the Seed

The project will be introduced to each class separately by the
respective instructors: "As you know, we've been working on getting an addition to
our building for the last few years. On Saturday, March 20, on our third attempt, the
public approved the $6.3 million bond issue at the school district meeting. One of the
primary areas being addressed in the building is the science facility  we will be
renovating the current classrooms and adding four new classrooms at the back of the
building. In the normal building design process from concept to finished plan, many hard
decisions and choices are made as to what to include or exclude  and one that
affected us was the elimination of a greenhouse early in the process. But we have two
groups of students right in this building who can become the consultants and contractors
for this project  Ms. Aherns Physical Science class and Mr. Rosss
Construction Technology III class."

Both classes gain an understanding of the overall project
(needs assessment, design considerations, selection of a design, funding research, public
presentation and actual construction) and understand their specific role(s) in the
project. During the course of the project, students work on different teams that are
responsible for different facets of the program. Some of these teams include students from
only one class, while others have representatives from both classes. Each team has a
leader or, in the case of joint teams, co-leaders.

The physical science class is primarily responsible for
conducting the needs assessment. Mary asks "What is a needs assessment?" John
responds, "It's a kind of survey; we need to find out why we need a greenhouse."
"We could ask all the science teachers why they need it for what they are teaching
 and what should be in the greenhouse, too." "Are there other schools in
the state that have greenhouses?" "Maybe we could get some information from
businesses that have greenhouses." As the discussion continues and ideas begin to
gel, the students realize that they may need three or four groups to gather all the
information needed  from science and other teachers; from state curriculum
standards; from other schools that have greenhouses; and from greenhouse professionals.

Ms. Ahern schedules the Curriculum Lab upstairs for a few
periods and, after Mrs. Badger reviews some basic procedures, the students begin their
research. The teacher survey group starts looking for some tips on how to write surveys
(they find the librarian has put some tips for survey writing on the project website). The
students investigating other schools discover that Webster, the state website, has
a listing of schools with links to their respective web sites  and they begin
composing some questions to e-mail to the science departments (or vocational agricultural
programs) in those schools. And after working with different combinations of terms, one of
the students finds some references to school greenhouses in other states by using one of
the web search tools. Another student asks if there are standards for what has to be
taught in biology class, and Ms. Ahern shows them how to find New Hampshire's science
curriculum frameworks on-line. As each group begins their work and accumulates
information, they begin to organize the information so they can present their findings to
the construction technology students for the next step  and they also realize that
this summary will be important later in the process, because the administration and school
board will want to know why a greenhouse is needed before they approve the final project
for construction.

While the physical science class works on the needs assessment,
the Construction Technology II & III class has been informed that this year's project,
a greenhouse, will be constructed in cooperation with science students and they will be
designing, estimating materials, pricing materials and, again, building the structure.

Mr. Ross opens up the floor for discussion. "What are your
thoughts, questions, or concerns?" Jason asks, "How can we design a greenhouse
without knowing what kind they want? How big do they want it? Where is it going?"
Steve wants to know what kind of material we will be constructing the greenhouse out of.
Mike asks, "Will we be installing the heating and/or ventilation if it is
needed?" At this point, Mr. Ross stops them to bring up one of the students, Jim, to
write down all of the questions. The questions continue -- "How long of a project is
this going to be?" asks Dave. Mike wants to know where we can get the information to
design the greenhouse. Will there be electric and plumbing considerations? Jessica wants
to know if the kind of plants they want to grow will have an effect. And Tim wants to
know, "What exactly is our role in this project with the science class?"

"These are all good questions," comments Mr. Ross.
"What you first need to know is that the science students are conducting a needs
assessment at this time, so their exact needs are not yet known. What this means to us is
that we will research a number of different designs using a number of different resources.
I would like to see all of you first use the Internet. We also have a few designs on
CD-ROM. While on the internet, see if you can locate any architects, builders, listserves,
magazines, or businesses that may be of use to you in this project. Copy down the URL and
bring it and the rest of your notes back to class with you. What exactly is our role, Tim?
Well, we will be the consumer with the science department, the architect
drafting the print using CADD, the general contractor putting the materials
package and prices together, the builder constructing the greenhouse to the
specifications in the print. Note, again, you will be doing this project in cooperation
with the science students, in mixed groups, so you may be only responsible for a few of
the phases of the whole project."

"You must know that each phase involves some form of
presentation to another group that will lead into the next phase, so keep all of your
information clear and concise and list all of your references. We would like your
presentations to be done using PowerPoint and an LCD projector. After your research on
design is complete, you will get into groups with the science department, draft a plan
using any of the CADD packages available here at school, build a 3D model, and share your
designs telling us the advantages and disadvantages. After all of the groups have made
their presentations, the whole group at large will discuss and choose a design that best
meets the needs of the science department. This may include future needs. Plan for the
future! What we have covered today is definitely enough to take us through a couple of
days. What I would like you to do for the rest of the class is to break into groups and
discuss the questions up on the board amongst yourselves, choose a recorder and hand in
your notes at the end of class. Tomorrow we are scheduled for the Curriculum Lab, so bring
your Internet cards with you."

About half way through the work on these first two sections of
the project, students and teachers come to the realization that it would be helpful to
have a joint, "face-to-face" meeting between the groups and with someone who is
a professional in this area. Students prepare a list of topics and questions they would
like addressed, and these are e-mailed to a professor at a local university who has agreed
to come speak to the group about this project. In the joint meeting students have an
opportunity to discuss questions and concerns with their counterparts in the other class,
as well as brainstorm ideas and seek guidance from the professional.

Cultivating

Once the groups in both classes have organized the results of
their research, they present their findings to a joint session of the physical
science/construction technology classes. After these presentations, three teams of eight
are formed, with each team preparing a detailed design and model for one of the basic
styles of greenhouses. Each group consists of students from both physical science and
construction technology, and have one representative (an "expert") from each of
the sub-groups which conducted the initial needs assessment and design work. Part of the
time, students work in their eight-person teams, while at other times they work during
class-time in four-person groups. During this stage of the project, communication between
the physical science and construction technology members of the team is critical. On each
design team, a representative from each class is selected as team leader and becomes
responsible for facilitating the work and communication.

Let's listen in on the design team working on the lean-to style
plan. During this time period, the eight students are working together to begin looking at
the design. Cory, physical science team leader, starts the conversation. "Okay, since
we're looking at the lean-to design, the siting of the greenhouse in relation to the
building is critical. What factors do we need to consider?" "It should be near
the science facilities," comments Andrea. "We need to consider sunlight,"
suggests Phil. "What direction should it face?" "Did we decide how wide it
has to be?" asks Harry. "The science teachers stated they wanted to be able to
control the amount and type of light. What if we located it on a corner?" "Does
someone have the blueprint of the school?" "How do we tell which direction is
north?" By the end of the period, the students have come up with two possible sites
for the greenhouse and figured the dimensions necessary at each site to meet the size
requirements of the science department. Each member of the team has specific tasks to
research and complete prior to the next work session.

As the design and model work nears completion, a third set of
teams is formed to research and secure possible funding sources to enable building the
greenhouse. "Do we have any money in the school budget for this?" Jennifer asks.
"No," respond both Ms. Ahern and Mr. Ross. "The budget was already
developed for the school year before this project was planned, so we need to get creative
about funding." Students from both classes begin brainstorming some possible funding
sources and partnerships. "Maybe some local businesses would be willing to donate
some money....," suggests Carolyn. "Or maybe donate some of the materials that
we need," Tim adds. "I could explain our project to my boss at work -- maybe he
would be interested in helping." "Is there any grant money we could apply for? I
heard Mrs. Dreyer helps with our school's grants," says Jessica. "Can I go see
her secretary to set up an appointment to meet with her?" "What if we see if
some of the greenhouse suppliers have lower prices for schools -- or might be willing to
contribute something." "And maybe Mr. York, our School-to-Work coordinator,
would have some ideas or connections." After the brainstorming, the students begin to
organize their ideas and divide them into three or four groups. And the research
begins......And the contacts are made.....by phone, by e-mail, by fax, and in person. The
local newspaper has even picked up the story, and the interest grows. The financial
package begins to come together, from several sources, and including donations in money,
materials, and time.

Reaping What We Have Sown

The students are now ready to pull all their team reports and
data together into a comprehensive proposal, including goals and justification for the
greenhouse, design options, site options, financial package, materials lists, time line,
etc. The students request some extra advice and tips from other teachers and students.
Some of the Business Technology students share what they have learned about personal
manner and appearance in business situations. Some of the Computer Skills students give
assistance in putting part of the presentation into PowerPoint. Handouts are prepared,
transparencies are made, the computer and LCD panel are set up, and parts are practiced.
Presentation day arrives and the students meet with the Facilities Committee of the
Pemi-Baker Regional School Board. Approval for actual construction is finally obtained for
the following school year.